NGC 7000 and IC 5070in Mapped Color

About This Photograph

This vast cloud of gas in the constellation of Cygnus (the Swan) is about 3,000 light years away. From a very dark observing sight, it is easily visible with the naked eye, including the dark band running through the middle. On the left, and tipped on its side, is the North America Nebula, an appropriate name if you imagine the photo flipped top to bottom the way it appears in many telescopes. To the right of upper center is another favorite, the Pelican Nebula.

We see the nebulas here in "mapped color," a way of conveying information about the distribution of ionized gases. Red represents ionized sulphur, green excited hydrogen, and blue ionized oxygen.